As the trade war continues on, Canadians are still boycotting the border.
In the past, heading down to the States was a weekend staple for many British Columbians. All you had to do was cross the border and then you could shop as much as you wanted at Trader Joe’s, eat your America-exclusive fast food, or even drive to Seattle for a trip.
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But with the trade war ramping up, many British Columbians have opted to avoid the border altogether to stand in solidarity with Canada.
Canadians Boycotting the Border
According to data from the Whatcom Council of Governments’ 2026 Changes in Cascade Gateway Border Volumes, traffic from southbound vehicles with B.C. plates have dropped a total of -19% in January 2026 vs 2024. The change is even more stark when comparing January 2026 to 2025 at -32%.
That’s a difference of 50,332 vehicles.
As for more recent numbers, there was a reported total of 135,720 southbound B.C. plate vehicle crossings into the U.S. in August 2026. Compared to 2025’s numbers at 149,915, that’s a drop of -9%. Although, the difference is much larger against 2024’s numbers at 245,291, totalling a -45% drop instead when compared with 2026’s crossings.
The decline in travel is due to the trade war, and has been happening since February 2025. The drop coincides with U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk on tacking on tariffs to Canadian goods, as well as his threats of annexation.
The U.S. has since hit Canada with a number of tariffs, and Canada has responded in kind with its own retaliatory, “dollar for dollar” counter tariffs. As tensions progress, border crossings may continue to drop throughout the rest of 2026.
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